Anyone Who Had A Heart
by mdelpin
Summary: Natsu and Gray were careful, they had to be. They were well aware that Don't ask, don't tell didn't only apply to servicemen at Loring Air Force Base. One wrong move could destroy not only them but their loved ones. But they were in love, and sometimes love can make us careless. Gratsu Week Entry
1. Chapter 1 - Flying

Gratsu Week 2019

Prompt: Flying

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima

Natsu had always loved flying. It had started at an early age when his father had taken him to a small local airport to watch the small planes take off and land. They'd sit on the hood of his father's old truck on Sundays while his mother prepared dinner. His father would sit him on his lap, and they'd laugh as they felt the wind push against their bodies when the planes accelerated past them on the runway, as they prepared to take off and soar in the air.

His father would walk him through what the pilots where doing and even though Natsu couldn't really understand the words at first, he still loved listening to the joy in his father's voice as he would patiently explain the same thing every week.

His father was a fighter pilot at the local Air Force Base. He flew planes which were sleeker and faster than anything that was housed in the small hangar of the airport, but he could always find something to love about any type of plane.

It wasn't uncommon to see Natsu running around the base, arms stretched out in makeshift wings as he made sputtering noises like an engine. His father would always beam at him and urge him to go faster and faster.

They had to move often, his father receiving Permanent Change of Station to other bases as he was promoted up the ranks, but as soon as they arrived at their new home they would seek out the local airport, and it would all begin again. It was their one normalcy in their ever-changing world.

When Natsu was six years old, his father surprised him by taking him out on a plane for the very first time. It was just a small biplane he'd rented, but Natsu was still thrilled to be inside instead of watching from the sidelines. He felt funny wearing the goggles and headset his father had insisted he put on, but he could still feel the wind threading through his hair.

It was the most exhilarating moment of his life so far, he felt a freedom he'd never experienced before. There were butterflies in his stomach, and his heart raced in his chest. He couldn't help but scream joyfully into the air, smiling as he heard his father's warm laugh coming from the seat in front of him.

When he was in the air, there was no time to think about the friends he had once again left behind, or worry about having to start a new school and making new ones. There were only clouds and wind, and basking in the warm sunlight. It was as peaceful as it was exciting, and he loved it.

When his father began to do barrel rolls, Natsu hooted in approval. He thought his father was the coolest person in the world. Natsu was filled with great happiness, and he wanted nothing more than to stay up in the sky forever.

He now knew without a doubt what he wanted to be when he grew up. He wanted to be a pilot like his father, to spend his time in the clouds, leaving his worries down on the ground. After that, every year on his birthday, his father would rent a plane for a few hours and take him up.

xxx

Natsu's father knocked on his bedroom door, making him look up from the Lego model he'd been struggling with.

"Natsu, I need to talk to you, son."

His father looked pained, and Natsu had long ago learned to recognize that voice. He knew, without a doubt, they would be moving again. He'd lost track of how many times they'd moved, but at ten years of age, he could say he'd lived in all the time zones the United States had to offer.

There was something different this time though, his father had sat on his bed. Usually, when this happened, he'd just tell him where they were going and then leave him to begin packing. Something else was up.

"An opportunity has come up at a base in New England," His father declared absently, "I know you like it here, but our situation has changed, and I have to take it."

Natsu wasn't exactly sure why his father thought he liked it here, the kids were mean. They called him names just cause he had pink hair.

It was irritating, it's not like he had any control over his hair color. He would definitely not be sorry to leave this place behind. Natsu couldn't help but notice his father was paying no attention to him. By that token, where was his mom? She usually came in after the announcement to help him pack.

Natsu's father finally focused on him again, peering at him with wide eyes and shaking hands, and Natsu could feel the beginnings of fear grab hold of his fingertips and crawl itself up the rest of his body.

"Dad?"

His father didn't respond right away, seemingly lost in his own world, one that was apparently sad enough to cause tears to glisten at the corner of his eyes. Natsu could feel his insides get cold, and he began to shake with anxiety.

His father looked at him blankly before shaking his head and producing a smile that wouldn't fool anyone, let alone someone who knew him as well as Natsu did.

"Your mom," Natsu could hear the sob in his father's voice, and he rushed to his bed, jumping on his father's lap and holding on for dear life.

They held each other for a few minutes as his dad got himself under control, "Your mom is sick, and she needs better care than what she can get at this small base. "

Natsu looked up in shock. His mother was sick? But she looked fine.

"I don't understand," Natsu managed to get out wondering what kind of illness could be so severe but not show.

"She uhm, she has cancer. Moving to a bigger base might help extend her life a little," His father tried to explain.

"So if we move they can cure her?" Natsu asked eagerly, he wasn't exactly sure what cancer was, he'd only ever heard the word used in hushed voices.

His father shook his head sadly, "There is no cure, but the base we're moving to has its own hospital. She'll have access to better treatments, and they'll be able to keep her comfortable."

"So, when are we going?" Natsu asked, trying to sound like his world wasn't currently falling apart all around him.

He felt strong arms embrace him tightly, and they remained this way for a long time, long past when it got dark outside. He could hear his mother moving around in the house, but for the first time he could remember, he wasn't eager to see her. He didn't know what to do or what to say, and he was terrified he would somehow make the situation worse.

Natsu had never wanted to be up in the sky as much as he did at that moment.

A/N: This was an idea I had while I was working, I had a query that required me to look around an air force base and this story sort of popped into my head. It takes place during the early 1990's when attitudes towards those who identified as gay were a lot worse than they are now, especially in military circles. It was originally meant to be a two-shot for Gratsu Week but when Gratsu Bingo was announced I decided to expand the story to use some of the prompts.


	2. Chapter 2 - Water

Gratsu Week 2019

Prompt: Water

Natsu and his parents had moved into their new home at Loring Air Force Base less than a week later. The base was located in the middle of nowhere Maine, close to the border of Canada. Even though it was summer the temperatures were already cooler than what they were used to, especially at night. Neither complained, if the doctors could help his mom both Natsu and his father would gladly suffer through the coldest winter.

His father had been promoted to Colonel, making him the fourth highest-ranked officer in the whole base, a situation they'd never been in before. The house they'd been assigned was much larger than any they'd lived in before. It felt almost too large for just the three of them, but his mother would talk excitedly of the sleepovers he'd have with all the friends he was going to make. Natsu didn't have the heart to tell her that none of the kids he'd met so far had shown any interest in being his friend.

They all seemed to be so hung up on his hair color, they'd call him names, some he didn't even understand but from the look on his father's face instinctively knew were bad. There'd been so many times when he'd considered asking if he could just dye it another color but he didn't want to hurt his mother's feelings. Her hair was the same color after all. It came down to her shoulders in loose waves and in Natsu's mind, there was nothing more beautiful.

Mostly Natsu kept to himself. On the weekends he'd explore the base with his father in what he assumed was an attempt to give his mother a rest. Natsu wanted to like it there. It was the biggest base they'd ever been stationed in. Not only did it have its own hospital and elementary school, but it also had a bowling alley, a swimming pool, camping areas inside the base as well as spots for fishing and boat rentals.

There were activities available for every season and he and his father had already discussed learning to ski over the winter at the small downhill ski area. Had their reasons for being there been different it would have been an amazing place to live but they couldn't find it in themselves to be excited knowing that she couldn't join in any of it.

Unfortunately, his father's new position required that he spend most of his time behind a desk. His mother had been encouraging him to buy a small plane he could use to teach Natsu someday but it hadn't happened yet. Just like that, they were both grounded.

His mother was scheduled for radiation treatments five times a week for weeks on end. So for most of the summer, he'd walk to the hospital with her and wait for her to finish her treatment. Then they'd walk home and Natsu would sit with her while she rested. Sometimes they'd watch reruns of after-school specials on ABC and laugh at how cheesy they were. Her laugh was lovely and Natsu just couldn't fathom a world without it.

The doctors were able to get her cancer to go into remission and everything seemed to be looking up. Even so, he often caught his father staring after her with a worried expression and Natsu couldn't decide whether he was being overprotective or whether there was something he wasn't being told and the uncertainty ate away at him, leaving a constant knot in the pit of his stomach.

Now that his mother didn't have to be at the hospital constantly she began to push Natsu to go outside and make friends, although thankfully she'd yet to try to force a playdate with anyone. She'd begun trying to meet the other officer's wives and trying to find a place for herself in the base's community.

To please her he would pretend to go outside and play. He'd already given up on the friend front so he mostly explored the hiking trails near his house. He had to admit Maine was beautiful even though it felt like he had to wear two coats just to go outside. When he was on the trails surrounded by nature, there was a peace that not even the sound of the jet engines taking off from the base's runways could disturb. It wasn't quite as good as flying but at this point, he'd take what he could get.

He was surprised to find his mother waiting for him outside of school at the end of his first week. He wasn't able to read her expression but he could hear several of the girls commenting on the color of her hair. He rolled his eyes in annoyance, this again!

Natsu studied his mother carefully but she only smiled at him, her blue eyes twinkling as she beckoned him over. That's when he noticed the gear she had with her. Two fishing poles lay at her feet along with a tackle box that looked promising. He bounced with excitement as he picked up the poles and handed her the box. They walked together, talking eagerly of the fish they would catch, even though neither of them knew how.

It was nice not to be alone for once.

Xxx

Lake Malabeam was a small lake that lay within the boundaries of the gated base and Gray Fullbuster had been coming here since he was very young. They would often take walks here on the weekends as a family. His mother had always loved the sound of the water lapping at the shore and she would often take him fishing.

Then after she'd died his father would bring him as a way to remember her, but that had stopped once his father had decided to move on. Now Gray only ever came by himself, and he liked it that way. When he was here he felt like he could let the sound of the water wash over him, helping him to forget all his troubles and just remember his life the way it used to be.

Things had changed a lot for him in the past year. The general that had been in charge of the base had retired and his father had been promoted to take his place. A higher ranking job meant more time at work and less time for Gray, but he'd been okay with that mostly. As an only child, he was somewhat used to being alone, he didn't mind it much.

No, what had bothered Gray had been his father replacing his mother with another woman who had two kids of her own. Without ever being consulted Gray had been thrust into a new family he hadn't wanted.

His stepmother, also a high ranking officer but from another base, was named Ur Milkovich now Fullbuster. There was some lovely story about how they'd met and fallen in love but Gray had been too angry to really interiorize it. She had transferred over with her children at the beginning of the summer, a month before the wedding.

They had taken an extended honeymoon, sending the children away to some sleepaway camp for a month, convinced that it would help them become close. They probably thought the three of them would be thick as thieves once they returned from their shared experience, but that wasn't what had happened.

Ur's children were named Ultear and Lyon. Ultear was thirteen, older than him by three years and frankly, she wasn't that bad. She was funny in a sarcastic way Gray appreciated and she mostly left him alone unless they were forced to interact. Lyon, on the other hand, was only a year older and wanted to involve himself in everything Gray did.

It didn't help that Lyon had a very elevated view of himself, he could be fun to spend time with for short periods of time, but more often than not his arrogance got on Gray's nerves.

If he had to describe his current relationship with the Milkovich children, he would say that at the very best he tolerated them and the feeling was probably mutual. His relationship with Ur was more complicated still, it was mostly driven by his desire to not piss his father off. Although his father had never hit him, Silver could be scary when he was angry.

With the days getting colder Gray could usually count on being able to brood without interruption as most people had already switched over to the base's heated pool, so he was surprised to see two figures approaching, seemingly engrossed in a world all their own. He quickly moved behind a bush, not wanting to be seen but something kept him from leaving altogether.

He watched from his hiding spot, transfixed by the happy expressions he could already make out on their faces and the carefree way they were walking. It was a boy who appeared to be close to his age, and an older woman who looked a lot like him, clearly his mother.

Gray thought he recognized the boy from school, he was new. He vaguely recalled his father mentioning a new officer and wondered if this was his family. Judging by the fact that they were already wearing coats in the late summer he assumed they had transferred over from somewhere warm.

Gray's heart ached at the bright smile on the boy's face as his mother ruffled his pink locks and a feeling that was somewhere between yearning and envy bloomed in his chest. He couldn't stop gazing at them. The tears he'd been holding since his father remarried dripped unbidden from eyes that had already cried too much.

He continued to watch them even as he cried, noting the adoring expression on the boy's face as he tried to help his mother get her fishing pole ready after she'd managed to drop her bait for the third time. Her laughter rang out and suddenly the boy began to giggle. He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace that seemed overly needy to Gray.

He thought he saw the woman wipe a tear away from her face before leaning down to kiss the boy's pink locks, and even though it puzzled him he didn't allow himself to dwell on it, having already made up his mind to hate this boy who had everything he could never have again.

A/N: Couldn't start it out easy. :) That's it for this story for Gratsu Week, any other updates will be through the Bingo or just regular updates.


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